Democratic Negotiators Agree to Cut Cost of Stimulus Package  —  Formal House-Senate Conference This Afternoon to Determine Bill's Final Form  —  Democratic negotiators have reached agreement on reducing the overall cost of President Obama's economic stimulus plan, scaling …

Cantor's Office Responds: Video Depicting AFSCME Members As Goons  —  Updated below with call on Cantor to apologize.  —  This isn't going to make the big unions very happy.  GOP House leader Eric Cantor's office has come up with an intriguing response to the AFSCME ad bllitz targeting GOP leaders …

U.S. Rep. Austria blames Depression on Roosevelt  —  U.S. Rep. Steve Austria said he supports a scaled-down federal economic-stimulus proposal, but the Beavercreek Republican told The Dispatch editorial board that the huge influx of money into the economy could have a negative effect.

Solicitor general nominee says ‘enemy combatants’ can be held without trial  —  Elena Kagan tells a senator she agrees with Attorney General Holder that the U.S. is at war and therefore may detain suspected terrorists indefinitely.  —  Reporting from Washington — Harvard Law Dean Elena Kagan …

67% Say They Could Do A Better Job On The Economy Than Congress  —  When it comes to the nation's economic issues, 67% of U.S. voters have more confidence in their own judgment than they do in the average member of Congress.  —  Nineteen percent (19%) trust members of Congress more …

Bailed-Out Firms Distributing Cash Rewards: “Please Do Not Call It A Bonus”  —  Two Wall Street firms that received at least $60 billion in government bailout funds will be rewarding their financial advisers with controversial retention payments, the terms of which one senior executive described as …

Obama on Sweden  —  In response to a very good question for ABC News' Terry Moran, President Barack Obama specifically addressed why he's rejected a “Swedish” approach to the financial crisis: … Obama makes two arguments here, one about scale and one about national tradition.

A rocky first few weeks  —  Obama sputters out of the gate — but don't fear yet.  Plus: Buxom foodies, frocks for the ages, and the eternal appeal of Mary McCarthy and Justin Timberlake.  —  Money by the barrelful, by the truckload.  Mountains of money, heaped like gassy pyramids in the national dump.

CONGRESS $HOPPING CARTS  —  WASHINGTON - “Fore!”  —  The federal government is preparing to spend millions to purchase a fleet of small electric vehicles that critics compare to golf carts.  —  The $838 billion economic stimulus bill that passed the Senate yesterday contains $300 million …

Why Markets Dissed the Geithner Plan  —  Here's how he should handle the banks.  —  One of the cool things about being Treasury Secretary is that you get your signature on dollar bills, giving them authority, defending their honor.  Timothy Geithner's plan to save the struggling banking system probably does …

Where does the conservative movement go from here?  —  ANALYSIS/OPINION:  —  The conservative movement has a simple and almost certainly successful future if it does three things:  —  1. Advocate first principles with courage, clarity, persistence and cheerfulness.

Give Geithner a Break  —  I don't think he did well yesterday.  I don't know that he's the right guy for the job.  But what I do know is the following:  —  1. Nobody, absolutely nobody, has more incentive to get this right than the Obama Administration.  If the economy collapses — well …

Report: ‘Dirty bomb’ parts found in slain man's home  —  Agency says radioactive materials recovered in home of man allegedly slain by his wife  —  BELFAST, Maine — James G. Cummings, who police say was shot to death by his wife two months ago, allegedly had a cache of radioactive materials …

Sarah Palin turns 45 today.  How are you celebrating?  —  Well, today is the Big 4-5 Sarah Louise Palin, the lipstick-wearing, pit-bull hockey mom whom some folks still can't get enough of — and others long ago did.  (But, look, you're still here reading!)

Ari Fleischer on “the grid in front of” the President  —  (updated below)  —  Daily Kos' Meteor Blades points to a rare moment of television candor last night, as Ari Fleischer explained to Bill O'Reilly how and why the White House determined which reporters were allowed to ask questions …

A CONSERVATIVE LIE CASE STUDY.... To paraphrase Twain, a right-wing talking point can travel the media world, while the truth is still getting its pants on.  We've seen a classic example over the last 48 hours.  —  On Monday, Bloomberg ran an opinion piece from Betsy McCaughey …

Will All-Male Congressional Stimulus Conference Restore Cuts To Programs Benefiting Women?  »  —  Today, Congress announced the House and Senate lawmakers who will be serving as conferees to work out the final version of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.  The list:

Obama: Caterpillar will rehire if stimulus passes  —  WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama says Caterpillar's chief executive has told him the company will rehire some laid-off workers if the stimulus bill passes.  —  The heavy equipment maker announced more than 22,000 job cuts last month …

Behind The Palin Pull Out  —  Sarah Palin is pulling back from her post-election media spree by withdrawing from CPAC, a move that can only help her if she wants a national political role.  —  Palin's pull out CPAC is striking because it represents a break in her media modus operandi …

RIGHT BEFORE THE ELECTION OF PRESIDENT HUSSEIN: “A $550 Billion Electronic Run on the Banks” … This is un-frickin-believable.  The financial crisis was deliberate, planned, staged.  Who made the run? … Electronic Run On Banks - $550 Billion Withdrawn In 1 Hour, Federal Reserve Halts Withdrawals …

Let 'em filibuster!  —  House Dems aren't ikely to revolt on the stimulus — but there's a brewing sentiment that Senate Democrats ought to call the Republicans on their bluff — and let 'em filibuster President Obama's big bills, 60 be damned.  —  A revealing moment from Tuesday's Democratic powwow …

Show ‘torture’ evidence, US politician Bill Delahunt demands  —  A senior Democrat on Capitol Hill has mounted a fresh challenge to Britain's insistence that its relations with US intelligence agencies would be threatened by disclosing evidence of torture.  —  Bill Delahunt said that the …

Marc Ambinder grants anonymity to “officials” to defend the Obama DOJ  —  (updated below - Update II)  —  From The New York Times Editorial Page today ("Continuity of the Wrong Kind"): … Last night, Rachel Maddow interviewed the torture victims' attorney, Ben Wizner of the ACLU …

Rebuild the Party: New Guards for Transparency  —  Transparency is an area of genuine opportunity for progress right now, because (1) the majority party promised they would do it, and (2) the minority party has a political incentive to hold the majority to their promise.

Obama speech to be rebutted by Jindal  —  Congressional Republicans have decided to put a national spotlight on Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, a rising Republican star, by choosing him to give the GOP response to President Barack Obama's first address to Congress.  —  Here's the press release:

Focus on the Family vastly outpaced Mormon spending on Proposition 8  —  Focus on the Family administration building in Colorado Springs.  (Photo/David Shankbone, Wikimedia)  —  Colorado Springs-based Focus on the Family gave $727,250 in cash and services to the anti-gay marriage Proposition 8 campaign …

As Mainstream Exits D.C., Niche Media Tide Rises  —  The growing exodus of mainstream reporters from the nation's capital has ceded much of the turf to a new, more specialized kind of journalism.  —  Just as newspaper, magazine and television bureaus here are shrinking or shutting …

Stimulus Agreement: $789.5-Billion Price Tag  —  Negotiators on Capitol Hill wrangling with reconciling the House and Senate versions of the stimulus package have come to an agreement on the top line figure for the recovery bill: $789.5-billion, Democratic and Congressional sources tell me and my colleague Rick Klein